TForce Logistics, an operating company of TFI International Inc. (NYSE and TSX: TFII), a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry, today announced an expansion of its dedicated last-mile delivery capacity in Toronto with the opening of its third facility in the greater metropolitan area.
The new facility, a 21,000 square foot distribution center, is located at 56 Torlake Crescent in south-central Toronto’s Etobicoke neighborhood. The Torlake center has a staff of more than 20 associates performing a variety of operations, including product staging and order fulfillment roles, as well as personnel in supervisory, management, customer service and delivery driver positions.
The Torlake center currently supports more than 20 companies with order fulfillment, final-mile delivery and returns management. It dispatches over 100 owner operators each day delivering products ranging from parts and components and supplies for businesses and manufacturers, to eCommerce-generated consumer orders for home delivery of goods such as non-perishable foods, furniture and home accessories, appliances, home electronics and other consumer staples.
“Today’s eCommerce environment demands speed to the consumer,” notes Dan Leslie, Vice President and General Manager, TForce Logistics Canada. “This requires a greater number of small, scalable facilities located in closer proximity and enabling shorter travel times to final delivery points. Our strategy is to surround the end-user consumer in population-dense areas with several smaller facilities to provide fast-response, flexibility and consistency with expedited local delivery. The new Torlake operation reflects this strategy.”
Torlake complements TForce Logistics’ current footprint in the greater Toronto metropolitan area, which also is served by a 21,500 square foot distribution and fulfillment center in Brampton and a 5,000 square foot operation in Markham. Collectively, the TForce Logistics final-mile operations make upward from 2 million deliveries annually in the Toronto area, a number that is expected to rise as the Torlake facility continues to ramp up. Last year, TForce Logistics made some 2,150,000 deliveries in the greater Toronto area.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has driven an unprecedented surge in eCommerce of a much wider array of goods deemed essential to people’s daily lives, and a corresponding demand in simplicity, reliability and consistency in last-mile delivery, noted Kal Atwal, Executive Vice President, TFI, responsible for TForce Logistics in both the U.S. and Canada.
“Consumers are more attuned than ever to expect faster delivery options with little to no increased cost. Whether it’s same day or next day, we have to be prepared to meet retailer’s and the consumer’s needs,” he emphasized. “Highly reliable, consistent and trusted final-mile service is the end-game that determines how well online and traditional retailers will separate themselves from competitors, grow their business and build sustainable customer loyalty that will last beyond the pandemic.”
In North America, TForce Logistics deploys an integrated network of more than 70 operating facilities, expert resources, leading technologies, and a fleet of more than 6,700 final mile delivery partners and equipment. TForce Logistics’ network is purpose-designed for the demands of final mile and eCommerce-generated shipping and covers all the major metropolitan communities in the U.S. and Canada.
“Addressing the end-to-end challenges involved in managing and executing on-demand, customized, rapid delivery services, and strategically scaling and locating capacity to meet that demand, is our core strength,” Atwal added. “Expanding our Toronto footprint is in line with that objective and reflects our continued investment to increase the depth and breadth of our capabilities as our customers’ needs grow.”